View full sizeThe Associated PressRaymond Felton hit a career high 116 three-pointers this season.

The Trail Blazers seemingly never-ending search for a long-term answer at point guard has finally come to an end.

In a flurry of draft-day activity, the Blazers traded Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez, landed Raymond Felton from the Denver Nuggets and drafted All-American Nolan Smith of Duke, stockpiling point guards for years to come.

"We addressed a need now and for the future," coach Nate McMillan said. "I like what we did today."

But, in what has become a common practice for the Blazers during the NBA draft, it was anything but a simple transaction. It took three teams and a dizzying combination of draft picks, current players and rights to foreign prospects for the Blazers to land the young, established point guard they've been seeking.

The Blazers traded Rudy Fernandez and the draft rights to Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the No. 26 and 57 selections. Then they packaged the rights to No. 26 — Texas' Jordan Hamilton — with Miller and sent them to Denver for Felton.

Portland, which entered the draft with just the 21st and 51st pick, drafted Smith at No. 21 pick and used their second-round picks on Ohio State guard Jon Diebler (No. 51) and Targuy Ngombo of Qatar (No. 57). They are expected to trade Ngombo.

But the crown jewel of the night was Felton. And, it turns out, he has been a target of the organization for some time.

After playing five seasons for the Charlotte Bobcats, who drafted him with the No. 5 overall pick in 2005, Felton signed a two-year free agent contract with the New York Knicks last summer. Along the way, he flirted with the Blazers.

"We were close to signing with them," Felton's agent, Tony Dutt, said. "They were our second choice."

Instead, he ended up signing with New York and averaged 17.1 points, 9.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds while playing 38.4 minutes a game. But after 54 games, Felton was traded to the Nuggets in the blockbuster multiplayer deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. He assumed a backup role in Denver, but still averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 assists.

When his sixth NBA season was all said and done, even with the trade and change in roles, Felton finished with his best season, averaging a career-high 15.5 points and a career-high 8.3 assists per game. He ranked sixth in the NBA in assists and eighth in steals (1.7 per game).

"He brings toughness, brings passion, brings some grit to us," interim general manager Chad Buchanan said. "We feel like he's gotten better and better with each year and I think he's going to continue to show improvement for us."

Felton, who turns 27 on Sunday, excels both in the open floor and running the pick and roll. But, like Miller, shooting is not his strength. He's a career 41.2 percent shooter, which includes 33.3 percent from three-point range. He has shown improvement, however, and he made a career-high 116 three pointers last season.

Felton brings a winning pedigree to Portland that includes an NCAA championship at North Carolina and two NBA playoff appearances. And, like Miller, Felton brings durability. He has played no fewer than 75 games in any season and he has averaged at least 36 minutes per game in four of his six seasons.

"He's a legit starting guard that is in his prime who's going to be solid," McMillan said. "I think he's going to give us a different option than Andre."

But while the Blazers were touting his addition as a boon for the short-and long-term, Felton will enter the final year of the two-year deal he signed with New York last summer. Dutt said his client might be open to a longer stay in Portland.

“We’ll both have a feeling-out period, but I think it can be a good
situation for both,” Dutt said. “We’re going to look at everything.”

As highly as the Blazers spoke of Felton Thursday, Dutt spoke equally high of the Blazers and McMillan.

"I just love Nate and he's a perfect fit for a guy like Raymond," Dutt said. "Raymond can take them to a whole other level. With the system and the players around him ... Nate is going to get everything out of him."

Smith, a first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year, was one of the most decorated players in college basketball last season, when he averaged 20.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds for Duke. Several media outlets named him their national Player of the Year.

The Blazers held a private interview with Smith at the Chicago Predraft Camp in May and he participated in a predraft workout with the Blazers last Friday. They love his combination of character and work ethic.

Buchanan and McMillan touted his versatility and defense and said he can play from Day One.

"He's what this organization is about," Buchanan said. "He's a winner, No. 1. (He was a) national champion at Duke his junior year. We're big on guys improving every year and he's a guy who showed that at Duke. He can play a little one, he can play a little two. I think he's got some versatility that we like."

Miller leaves after a two-year stint that started rocky but ended with mutual respect. He endeared himself to fans and teammates with his unselfish, rock-solid game and no-nonsense attitude. But at 35, he was not the long-term answer.

McMillan bemoaned the loss of Fernandez and Miller, but expressed excitement about the future.

"If you look at Raymond, Wesley, Wallace, LaMarcus, our core, that's a pretty good core for the future," McMillan said. "These guys are around the same age, they're pretty much in their prime. You look at that group of players, that is a good group to go with the next few years."